Coronado Golf Course

Coronado Golf course is one of the country’s most popular municipal golf courses.  Situated on a one-of-a-kind property, Golf Digest has recognized the course as one of the best values in the country. 

When it comes to San Diego Golf, Torrey Pines is the hub. Still, Coronado generally falls next in line as an accessible public facility that is raved about by visitors and residents alike.

The draw is the location. Coronado has some of the most incredible aerial shots of any golf course you will ever see. The front nine needs some renovation, however. When the course opened in 1957, the course played at 6,100 yards and as a par 75! The front nine had to be altered due to the construction of the Coronado Bridge, taking some land from the course ten years later.

Coronado is a slicer’s paradise; nearly every hole is a severe dogleg. Very few holes play straight at Coronado, and this old-school course requires you to work the ball if you want any chance of success. 

The second hole is a rare dogleg left par five that plays right up to the San Diego Bay and directly into the wind. Playing at Coronado is golf’s version of an entire beach day, meaning you need to be careful if you buy any food; birds stole every single thing I purchased while I was putting.

The third hole plays adjacent to the bay under the Coronado bridge and is another sound hole with great views of downtown San Diego. Coronado’s design features come into play as the course heads inland on the par five fourth hole with two different greens. The greens here are generally very undulating, and it can be tricky to read them. ‘No break Coronado’ as it’s known.

Coronado is one of the busiest and best municipal courses in the nation. Trees are abundant throughout the course, making course knowledge crucial. Cutting off corners barely helps in many situations, and it is a challenging course to overpower despite its medium length. Working the ball from left to right is more important than anything; Coronado has some of the most severe doglegs you will ever see. Trees are located on both sides of the rough on virtually every hole.

The weather, venue, and atmosphere of Coronado make this place unique. However, it can be hit or miss, and there are some very territorial locals that you have to deal with, but that seems to be the case with any good municipal golf course—especially one on the beach.

One knock on the course is that the lake surrounding the 8th and 9th holes is empty and surrounded by yellow tape. This has been the case for some time as the system is trying hard to make some much-needed repairs but has been held up as development and redevelopment projects are challenging on Coronado Island.

The back nine winds around the Bay and approaches the Hotel Del Coronado. The Course starts to shine on the 16th hole, the only hole in the city that plays across the San Diego bay. Holes 17 and 18 are substantial finishing holes that wrap up a day at the beach nicely. 

To sum it up, Coronado is one of the rare ocean-type courses in the city and is a must-play for anyone visiting San Diego.

Birdies –The location can’t be beat, one of the best values in golf

Bogies – Not the best layout, the course needs repair work done, hit or miss locals (bring your foursome